Set up a quarantine area and tagging system that physically prevents suspect material reaching production or shipment.
Quality & Productivity
Managing Non-Conforming Material Through Quarantine and Disposition Decisions
A practical course in controlling non-conforming material, covering quarantine and tagging systems, Material Review Board governance and defensible disposition decisions.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
A defective part that sits unlabelled on a shelf next to good stock is one mix-up away from reaching a customer, which is why controlling non-conforming material is treated as a formal discipline rather than a matter of common sense. This course sets out how physical quarantine, clear tagging and disciplined segregation stop suspect material moving before anyone has decided what to do with it, and how a Material Review Board or equivalent authority reaches a disposition of rework, repair, scrap, use-as-is or vendor return with the right technical and commercial input. Sessions cover the practical mechanics of quarantine areas and hold tags, the read-across question of whether other lots or shipments share the same suspect cause, and the deviation and concession process used when a customer must formally accept material outside specification. Participants also work through the cost and traceability side of the discipline: tracking scrap and rework cost by cause, keeping a defensible paper trail from non-conformance report to final disposition, and feeding recurring disposition patterns back into corrective action rather than repeatedly reworking the same problem. The course closes with the governance habits that keep a quarantine area from becoming a permanent, half-forgotten stockroom of undecided material.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Convene a Material Review Board with the right technical, quality and commercial representation for a decision.
Decide between rework, repair, scrap, use-as-is and vendor return based on risk, cost and specification.
Determine whether a non-conformance requires read-across to other lots, batches or shipments.
Prepare a deviation or concession request that gives a customer an honest basis for accepting non-conforming material.
Track scrap and rework cost by root cause to prioritise improvement effort.
Maintain traceability from a non-conformance report through to its final disposition and closure.
Who Should Attend
Quality engineers and inspectors who identify and tag non-conforming material on the shop floor.
Material review board members from quality, engineering, production and supply chain functions.
Warehouse and stores personnel responsible for physical quarantine and segregation areas.
Supplier quality engineers negotiating disposition and containment with vendors.
Quality managers accountable for non-conforming material control during customer or certification audits.
Operations managers who need non-conforming material resolved without disrupting production flow.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Identifying and Containing Non-Conforming Material
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Recognising and Tagging Non-Conformance
- Recognise the difference between a non-conformance found in process and one found after shipment.
- Apply a hold or reject tag that clearly identifies the material, the defect and the date it was found.
- Record enough detail on a non-conformance report that a reviewer can understand the issue without seeing the part.
- Distinguish a minor cosmetic non-conformance from one that affects fit, form or function.
Session 2Quarantine, Segregation and Containment
- Establish a physical quarantine area that keeps suspect material separated from conforming stock.
- Apply containment actions immediately to stop suspect material moving further into production or shipment.
- Decide whether a suspect issue requires read-across to other lots, machines, shifts or shipments.
- Prevent quarantined material from being informally released back into use before a disposition is agreed.
02Material Review Board Decisions
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Running a Material Review Board
- Convene a material review board with the technical and commercial authority needed to make a binding decision.
- Present a non-conformance to the board with the evidence needed to support a specific disposition.
- Balance engineering, quality and commercial perspectives when a disposition decision is genuinely contested.
- Record a board decision with clear reasoning so it can be defended later if questioned.
Session 2Choosing Between Rework, Repair, Scrap and Use-As-Is
- Distinguish rework, which restores full specification, from repair, which restores function without full specification.
- Assess when use-as-is is justified because the deviation has no effect on form, fit or function.
- Decide when scrap is the only responsible option despite the cost of the lost material or labour.
- Coordinate a vendor return disposition with the supplier quality function and the purchasing agreement.
03Deviations, Concessions and Customer Communication
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Preparing Deviation and Concession Requests
- Draft a concession request that states the deviation, the reason for it and the proposed use of the material.
- Distinguish a one-off concession from a deviation permit that covers a defined period or quantity.
- Assemble the supporting evidence, such as test data or engineering assessment, a customer will expect to see.
- Track open concessions so a temporary acceptance does not quietly become a permanent unapproved practice.
Session 2Communicating Disposition to Customers and Suppliers
- Explain a disposition decision to a customer in terms that address their risk, not just internal process.
- Negotiate a containment and disposition plan with a supplier when the non-conformance originates upstream.
- Handle a customer's rejection of a proposed concession without abandoning the underlying technical case.
- Close the communication loop by confirming the customer has recorded and accepted the final disposition.
04Cost, Traceability and Continuous Improvement
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Tracking the Cost of Non-Conforming Material
- Record scrap and rework cost against the specific root cause responsible for the non-conformance.
- Build a simple cost of non-conformance report that shows which defect types are the most expensive.
- Use disposition cost data to justify investment in a corrective action rather than repeated rework.
- Distinguish cost recovery from a supplier from the internal cost absorbed by the organisation.
Session 2Traceability, Governance and Preventing Recurrence
- Maintain traceability records that link a non-conformance report, its disposition and its closure evidence.
- Audit the quarantine area periodically to confirm no material is sitting undispositioned beyond its target time.
- Feed recurring disposition patterns into the corrective and preventive action system rather than treating each case alone.
- Review material review board decisions periodically to confirm consistency across similar non-conformances.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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